Lynn Shelton To Direct 'Laggies,' Still Eyeing Adaptation Of 'Then We Came To The End'

By
Kevin Jagernauth
|
The PlaylistAugust 19, 2011 at 7:09AM

Indie filmmaking stalwart Lynn Shelton -- who made a splash with "Humpday" a couple of years ago -- isn't in any particular hurry to go the studio route. Sure, she's helmed an episode of "Mad Men," but even her next film -- which flirts with Hollywood in casting Emily Blunt, Rosemarie DeWitt and Mark Duplass -- is a low-budget, semi-improvisatory affair. And while that film is gearing up for a TIFF premiere, Shelton is already lining up her next effort.

Indie filmmaking stalwart Lynn Shelton -- who made a splash with "Humpday" a couple of years ago -- isn't in any particular hurry to go the studio route. Sure, she's helmed an episode of "Mad Men," but even her next film -- which flirts with Hollywood in casting Emily Blunt, Rosemarie DeWitt and Mark Duplass -- is a low-budget, semi-improvisatory affair. And while that film is gearing up for a TIFF premiere, Shelton is already lining up her next effort.

Variety reports that Shelton will get behind the camera of "Laggies." Written by Andrea Seigel, the story follows a woman who responds to her boyfriend's marriage proposal by pretending to go on a retreat, but spends a week hanging out with some new high-school age friends instead. Will lessons be learned and shared? Probably. No word yet on who will take the lead role, but the character is described as a 28-year-old living in permanent adolescence, eschewing adulthood and its rules. And it seems comedy -- or perhaps dramedy -- is a genre Shelton is currently enjoying, as she's got another project still in the works.

First revealed last spring, Shelton's adaptation of Joshua Ferris' novel "Then We Came to the End" is still in the cards. While "Laggies" is casting up and expected to roll first, Shelton still has her eye on 'End'. Described as "The Office" meets Kafka, the book tells the oddball story of a group of workers at a Chicago advertising agency during the late '90s downturn. So, some promising projects on the horizon for Shelton, who in this difficult time to get financing for anything to get made, has no problem lining up work.